


The Nemesis

by Anonymous



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Aerti, Background Sefikura, Bad Flirting, Coffee Shops, College, Confessions, Crushes, Dating, Enemies to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff and Humor, Growing Up Together, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, M/M, Modern, Mutual Pining, Romance, School, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:49:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25802395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Five times Zack and Cloud hated each other, and the one time they didn't.Modern/School/Coffee Shop AU.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 29
Kudos: 81
Collections: Anonymous





	The Nemesis

The first time they met, they were five and six years old.

“This is my sword now,” the shrimp-sized blond boy declared, seizing the property and running away with it. It was a birthday gift from his Uncle Angeal, and Zack stared bewilderingly at the sight of sharp upright blond spikes bouncing around on the other boy's head, twirling his plastic sword at invisible enemies.

They were technically in the same age group, though they did not look it. Zack had been born in the early days of January, and Cloud had been born towards the end of December in the very same year. There was at least a whole head’s height worth of difference between them, though Cloud’s pointy strands of hair appeared to be a weak attempt to bridge that gap.

“You can’t just take my sword. That came from my house,” he explained patiently to the smaller boy.

The little blond boy stuck out a small, kittenish tongue at him and scrunched up his nose. “I can too. I just did.”

The lack of logic stunned him. “Cannot!”

“Can too!!”

“CANNOT!”

“CAN TOO!!”

They yelled at each other until they were both red in the face, and Mr. Wallace jerked his head up with displeasure. The large, deceptively harsh-looking teacher came over to separate their fists and calm them down.

Mr. Wallace grabbed Cloud by the back of his shirt, not unlike a tiger mother gripping a cub by the scruff of its neck, and lifted the child slightly off the ground. The infuriated blond’s pale skin had turned pink from exertion, and he punched and kicked his little legs into the air. An obscenity or two escaped his tiny lips, which made Mr. Wallace’s eye twitch.

“Strife! What did I tell you about starting fights?” the teacher asked.

Cloud hung limply, like a doll. “Not to start them.”

“That’s right,” Mr. Wallace said in his gruff voice. The other children often found him intimidating, but Zack did not. His liquid brown eyes were just too pretty to be scary.

“Now, please give Zack back his toy. If you want to borrow it, ask him nicely.”

Cloud reluctantly handed it back to him and took a step back.

“Now, say sorry to Zack.”

Cloud pressed his lips together, as if he did not want the words to ever accidentally slip out. To do so would be to admit a crushing defeat. The insolent gesture only served to accentuate the chubbiness of his cheeks.

“Strife!”

“I’m sorry,” Cloud said reluctantly. In a barely audible voice, as if to say in parenthesis, he added, “ _Poophead._ ”

Zack narrowed his eyes and whispered, “ _I heard that._ ” Cloud only looked at him with a smug satisfaction.

* * *

In fifth grade, they got assigned to the same classroom again.

“Oh, it’s _you._ ”

Cloud looked at him blankly. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

Know him? Cloud was his archnemesis. They had spent all of first grade exchanging glares at each other, wrestling over who got to choose toys first during recess, and shooting paper spit balls at each other during class. They didn’t even give detention to first graders, but Zack could tell that Mr. Wallace really, really, wanted to lock them into a room together and just throw away the key, just to get one day of peace.

Instead, he just sent them to time-outs in separate corners of the room, and muttered, “I don’t get paid enough for this.”

Zack didn’t have the words, his throat dry. “How could you just forget me? First grade, remember? You’re like ... the Lex Luthor to my Superman!”

His enemy smirked. “I didn’t forget you, idiot. But you should see the look on your face. So worth it.”

Zack pointed a finger at him. “Y-you - You! You, make me so mad!”

Cloud blinked, his pretty dark lashes fluttering at him. He had really dark lashes for someone with such pale hair. Why was he even thinking about his archnemesis’ eyelashes?

“More like I’m the Batman to your Robin.” Cloud smiled mischieviously, like he knew it would wrench a reaction out of him.

“You short little... _boogerface!_ Look at us, if anyone’s going to be Robin, it’s _you!_ ” 

Now that he thought about it, Cloud would look just right in that red and green costume. Cute, even.

Zack stopped his own train of thoughts. Cute? No, never. Not this stupid, annoying little pain-in-his-butt. His stupid hair looked like a chick’s feathered behind. He could only be a menace, never cute.

Cloud just tutted, shaking his head. “I guess your mom and dad don’t let you swear, huh? _Boogerface_ is the best you can come up with? That’s just sad, Zack.”

He fumed.

Later, during the math lesson, Zack caught his eye and mouthed, _I hate you._ Cloud just smiled at him, in a disconcertingly friendly way.

* * *

In 7th grade, they happened to both be at Tifa’s birthday party. Tifa threw a warm hug around him.

“Be nice to him,” Tifa chided. She was talking about Cloud. According to her, Cloud was just shy, and acted like a little shit because he wanted to impress people.

“No,” Zack groaned, shaking his head. “He’s just _pure evil_. He _enjoys_ pissing people off, Tifa.”

Tifa threw her head back and laughed. “No, I think he just likes pissing _you_ off. You must be special then. He barely even talks to most people.”

That part seemed true. His archnemesis was a little bit of a loner, unlike Zack. The only reason he would even come to a party like this, would be because someone like Tifa or Aerith strong-armed him into it.

Zack had never kissed anyone before. He was nervous about playing spin-the-bottle. But everyone else was only thirteen or fourteen too, so he couldn’t be the only one, right?

Reno and Cissnei were the first to get paired up. They both looked really into it when they walked to the closet together. Everyone made loud “Ooooohs” as the door closed and they counted down from twenty.

They stayed five seconds past the timer. Cissnei’s hair looked slightly out of place when they exited, and Reno had the most self-satisfied grin on his wily face.

He had never seen Cloud so nervous before. He looked like he was about to throw up. Pulling the strings on his hoodie between two fingers, pale and flushed. He refused to look up at anyone, instead looking into his own lap.

“ _This is stupid_ ,” he heard Cloud whisper into Tifa’s ear. She stroked his shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, none of us will make fun of you. Besides, you don’t have to necessarily do anything in the closet. It’s just for laughs, Cloud.”

Tifa pinched his cheek playfully and Cloud scowled at her.

“And if anyone makes fun of you, I’ll kick their ass. Okay?”

“Thanks, Tif," Cloud sighed.

Tifa made this rule that you can’t re-spin. Whoever you get, you get. Even boys with boys, or girls with girls. You didn’t have to do anything in the closet if neither of you wanted to do it.

It seemed very inclusive of her, but privately, Zack thought it was because Tifa wanted her own spin to land on Aerith.

And of course, when it was his turn, it _had_ to land on Cloud.

Tifa laughed. “Oh, this is too rich.” Aerith giggled and whispered something into her ear.

Cloud looked so red in the face.

He was still a head taller than him. That was his preferred topic to insult Cloud with, because it seemed to be one of the only things that remotely got under his skin. But somehow, his archenemy just looked so scared and small that he couldn’t make the joke.

“This is so humiliating,” Cloud muttered after the door shut behind them. A single bulb with a dangling pull switch lit them from above.

Zack raised a brow. “Geez, I know I’m not the most handsome guy, but you could do worse. You could have gotten Jessie and she’d just suck your tonsils out without asking.”

“You _are_ handsome, though,” he said.

Then Cloud clapped a hand to his mouth, as if he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

Handsome? Cloud thought he was handsome? His little blond pain-in-the-ass rival worst enemy thought he was handsome?

He had meant it as a joke - lots of people called him handsome, actually. Older ladies always cooed at him, running their hands through his jet-black hair, squeezing his biceps, calling him “handsome little guy”. It was a little creepy, actually.

Zack just never thought he would hear it from Cloud.

His voice got caught in his throat, like a lump.

“Really? You think I’m handsome?” he asked softly.

Cloud gulped. He ignored the question. “You’re not going to kiss me, are you?”

Zack paused. He ignored the question too. “I’ve always ... I’ve always thought that you’re really pretty.”

Then, the Cloud he knew resurfaced, making the shy and blushing one in front of him disappear. He charged forward and pressed Zack to the wall, biting down on his neck.

“Don’t. Call. Me. Fucking. Pretty.” Cloud snarled each word out.

“You idiot, they’re going to think this is a hickey!” He slammed Cloud back to the other side of the wall.

The light flooded on them when the door opened. Tifa and everyone else stared at them, Zack with a bruise on his bare neck, hands pressing Cloud’s shoulders into the wall, his knee slotted between Cloud’s cargo shorts.

“Oh my,” Tifa said.

* * *

In 11th grade, they both joined the fencing team.

It pleased Zack to no end that he had made team Captain, and he could see Cloud’s bitchy face scowl at the difference in their status.

After school, after everyone else had left, Cloud refused to go until Zack accepted his challenge to a duel. Their sneakers screeched on the gym’s shiny floor and echoed inside its empty walls.

“Bring it on, bitch!” Cloud taunted, already in position.

“You got it, ho,” Zack retorted in reply.

They lowered the masks over their faces. It was a pity. Zack wanted to see the look on Cloud’s face when he defeated him. Plus, he just liked looking at Cloud’s face. That faint dusting of freckles on his smooth skin. Those enormous blue eyes. The pieces of blond hair framing his pretty face. The way he rarely smiled, but when he did, it was like a grumpy kitten finally lighting up at a ball of yarn or something.

They thrusted and parried, trying to knock one another off balance with their skinny swords. Cloud impressed him more than he would have thought. He lacked physical strength in comparison to Zack, but he made up for it in agility and technique.

“You’re not too bad, _pretty boy_ ,” he said between counter blocks, trying to goad Cloud into making a mistake. He never understood why Cloud hated being called pretty, except that perhaps it was a term more often associated with girls. Cloud was prettier than any girl he had seen, really.

Through gritted teeth, Cloud replied, “Whatever, _handsome hunk._ ”

“You know that’s not even an insult, right?” Zack made a feint attack.

Cloud didn’t answer, not with his words - he answered with his weapon, poking Zack with the tip.

Zack tried to catch his breath. “Your footwork’s really good, actually. I’m impressed.”

“Thanks, _Captain_ ,” Cloud said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. It made Zack laugh.

He didn’t know why Cloud insisted on using an Épée. He would have been better off with a Sabre or Foil; a lighter weapon to match his own lighter weight.

Perhaps he was just doing it to compete directly with Zack. He still remembers the time Cloud bested him at the spelling bee and sent him a consolatory card, with the losing word he had misspelled written in the cover. His word was Kayak, for goodness sake. He couldn’t even fathom how that was a word, much less how it was spelled.

Zack later wrote him back a card, writing the word DICK on the cover in big bold black letters.

The buzzer sounded, and Zack pulled off his face mask, dripping in sweat. Cloud did the same.

“Okay, okay. I admit defeat. You’re better than me, Zack. You always have been," he conceded. It was more generous than he was expecting.

“Humility looks good on you, Cloud.”

“Bitch.”

“Ho.”

Cloud was smiling, though, for once.

Zack went off to the locker room to shower and rinse off the sweat of their battle. Cloud almost never used the showers; he could barely stand being in the locker room, so Zack wasn’t worried about any awkward encounters. He could hear Cloud changing inside one of the bathroom stalls. The images that came to mind as the hot water pounded on his skin were... embarrassing.

* * *

The surly barista stared at him with a familiar glare.

“Really, Zack? You’ve come to my place of work just to annoy me?”

Cloud wore a white t-shirt with a black apron over it, a frown on his good-looking face. Zack resisted the urge to tell him how cute he looked in it. He always looked cute, even when he was pissed off. And Cloud was very often pissed off. It was part of his charm.

Zack held up a palm, defensively. “Hold up, it was Aerti who told me to stop by. They told me the coffee is awesome. You flatter yourself too much.”

Taking note of Cloud’s sour face, he decided to take his espresso to go and come back on a slow day.

He liked using _Aerti_ as a portmanteau for his good friends, who had finally confessed their feelings to each other during their senior year of high school. They looked so happy afterwards, and Zack was happy for them too.

“You should try it some time,” Tifa winked. He knew what she was getting at, but just the thought of it made him flush. What if he said no? What if he didn’t feel the same way?

He and Cloud were both sophomores in college now, and though they were never really friends, it sort of felt like they were, in a strange way.

As far as he knew, Cloud didn’t date anyone. He had finally come out their senior year, which Tifa was so proud of him for, but he said that he didn’t want to meet anyone just yet.

Tifa tried to get him on the latest dating app, but he wasn’t having it. She made a profile for him anyway.

“Help me come up with a tinder profile for him, Zack,” Tifa asked.

“ _Gorgeous, 19, and not interested?_ ” Zack deadpanned.

That one made Tifa laugh so hard, her sides ached and she had to hold her bare midriff with one arm to hold in the laughter. “Oh that's _soooo_ him.”

Tifa quickly abandoned the idea after receiving nothing but a flood of dick pics and messages detailing exactly what his potential suitors wanted to do to Cloud’s face. 

Several of them, when no response was received, called Cloud’s profile a bitch, among other unsavory terms and threats. 

One guy named Seph was particularly upset by what he perceived to be Cloud spurning his advances. He sent furious message after furious message, full of poetic and cryptic threats, until Tifa blocked him.

“Thank god I never tried this shit,” Tifa muttered. She got enough harassment as it was, day-to-day, with those enormous breasts of hers.

“Why don’t you just ask him out,” she asked earnestly, her reddish-brown eyes sparkling with warmth.

Zack was speechless for a moment, a rare thing for him. But it didn’t last long.

“What do you mean, why? He hates me.” And he must have looked crushed as he said it, judging by the look on Tifa’s face.

“Oh, Zack. He doesn’t hate you.” She rubbed his back and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

Tifa was like the sweetest mother hen. She was always looking out for everyone. She didn’t even get mad that he dated Aerith briefly, even knowing that Tifa had a long standing crush on her.

“Yes, he does. He fucking hates me. He hated me since the day we met.” Zack looked insecure, for once. “What if he... what if he laughs at me. He’ll just lord this over me forever, knowing that I like him.”

Tifa smiled. “I’m pretty sure that’s _exactly_ how he feels about you, Zack. Do you want me to ask him about it?”

Mortified, Zack shook his head vigorously. “NO. No way. Do _not_ tell him I have a crush on him. Don’t tell him anything.”

Tifa shrugged her slender shoulders. “The cafe is pretty empty on Saturday night. Just hang out with him a bit. He’ll come out of his shell, eventually.”

* * *

Zack leaned on the counter, chin in his hand, staring at Cloud’s cute backside as he operated the expresso machine.

Cloud set the cup in front of him with a dull thud and an even duller look in his eyes. “Here you go.” With a dubious look on his face, he added, “Why are you even having espresso shots this late at night, moron?”

Zack stifled a snicker. “Top notch customer service you’re providing here, blondie. Just great. I should tell your boss to give you a raise.”

“Would you _not_ call me that, ass?” There was Cloud’s scowl again. Even his scowls made his heart flutter.

“Whoa, whoa. I mean, _blondie_ is a nicer nickname than _ass_ , in my opinion.” The familiar ribbing between them filled Zack with an oddly fond feeling.

“It’s not a nickname,” Cloud said flatly. “It’s what you are.”

Zack was not deterred. “No, I’m the Batman to your Robin, _sidekick._ ”

And he caught just the tiniest hint of a smile curve into Cloud’s delicate lips.

“Maybe for Aerti’s next Halloween party, I’ll indulge you on that one,” Cloud murmured.

Zack’s eyes went wide. “Shit, man. You mean like wear tights and speedos? I was just joking.”

Cloud flushed awkwardly, but then they heard a customer clear his throat at the counter, breaking them out of the moment.

“Welcome to Seventh Heaven Cafe, how can I help you?” Cloud recited automatically, returning to the register.

The customer was looking at Cloud strangely. He had a very distinct, memorable appearance: Long silver hair and piercing green eyes, a black trench coat covering leather and silk. He looked like some kind of high-fashion male model, with a hint of androgyny and sensuality. And he looked familiar, for some reason. Perhaps he actually was a model.

“It’s _you_ ,” the man hissed.

“Me?” Cloud blinked.

The man grabbed the collar of Cloud’s t-shirt, jerking him forward. “Yes, you. Why did you reject me? Are you just playing hard-to-get?”

The color drained from Cloud’s face and he began stammering. “D-Do I know you?”

Zack leapt to his feet and shoved the man in the chest forcefully, making him take a few steps back. “Don’t. Touch. Him.” His jaw was tight, radiating with anger.

The man - _Seph_ , he remembers now, from those messages Tifa showed him for a laugh - looked him up and down with curled lips. “And who the fuck are you?”

Zack was sweating. “I’m his boyfriend.”

Cloud’s jaw fell open a bit. The few patrons in the shop were all looking at them now.

“Yeah, I’m his boyfriend. Look, the tinder profile was made by one of our other friends as a joke. He’s not available. He’s taken. Sorry.” The words just spilled out of him like vomit. He could probably take this guy, but he was even taller than Zack, and he didn't want to get Cloud in trouble at work by beating on another customer.

“I see,” Seph said. He actually looked sheepish. “I’m sorry, I’ve just... never been rejected before.”

Zack could believe it. He wanted this guy to go away so that Cloud would stop staring at his magnificent beauty.

Cloud rubbed his neck, where the apron tie had cut against it when Seph grabbed him. “So... do you want a coffee or something, sir?” he asked cautiously.

Seph shook his head, chagrined. “This is just ... embarrassing. I apologize if I have frightened you. I... I have to go now.” He left the cafe in a hurry, pushing the door open with such force that the bells on them shuddered in their jingle.

“Boyfriend, huh?” Cloud said, one blond eyebrow raised.

“I... dunno, it just came out.” Zack felt heat creeping into his cheeks.

“Let me guess. Tifa made me a profile. And you helped her with it.” Cloud folded his arms.

Zack nodded, making an ingratiating smile. The kind that said, _Don’t kill us, please._ “Don’t you want to get into dating, anyway? We’re in college. You should be having fun.”

Cloud looked awkward. “I never dated anyone because... there's someone I already like. Someone I hoped who would notice me.”

"Who?" Zack's heart pounded, waiting to be crushed.

“You,” he admitted. Cloud’s wide blue eyes looked into his, a shade of vulnerability in them that he'd rarely seen.

“Holy fucking shit. You serious?”

Cloud flinched from his words. He nodded reluctantly.

“I’ve had a crush on you for so long. I didn’t say anything because I thought you hated me,” Zack confessed.

Without hesitation, he angled in for a quick peck on Cloud's lips. It was a fairly chaste kiss, as kisses went. He didn't want to scare away Cloud.

It was intoxicating, even that smallest brush of their lips together.

“You really like me, Zack? This isn’t some prank? To ... mess with me?” Cloud had always tried to hide his insecurity, but he had seen glimpses of it, here and there.

It was then that it occurred to him - if Cloud hadn't dated - was this his first kiss? The idea of being Cloud's first... _anything_ was driving him a little crazy.

He leaned in for a deeper kiss this time, holding Cloud's jaw in his palms.

“Does that answer your question?” Zack asked, a bit dazed from the sweetness of it, his lips still wet.

Cloud gazed at him, a real smile spreading across his normally bitchy face. It made Zack melt in his seat. “Okay. Sure. You can be my boyfriend. But there’s one thing you have to do first.”

“What’s that?”

“Ask me out on a date.” Cloud leaned over the counter, smoothing a lock of Zack's hair back.

“Ok, let’s go on a date.” Zack grinned. “There. I’m officially your boyfriend now. _Pretty_ boy.”

“I hate you, Zack.”

“I love you, boyfriend.”

And this time, Cloud initiates the kiss.

  
**Seph**  


| 

11:58 PM **Seph:** _I would be loathe to live in a world in which we are not bound together._  
12:01 AM **Seph:** _There is nothing to fear._  
12:02 AM **Seph:** _Don't deny me._  
3:24 AM **Seph:** _Embrace me._  
  
  
---|---  
_Read at 9:05 AM_  
  
  
---  
  
**User has been blocked.**  


**Author's Note:**

> I wrote a really dark story before this and felt like I needed to compensate with the most tooth-rotting fluff, and this is the result.
> 
> I had seen this 5 + 1 things theme before and just came up with the idea for this. I'm not sure if I did it right.
> 
> Also, I know nothing about fencing, guys. I literally skimmed a wikipedia article for one minute and winged it. I'm open to corrections on that!
> 
> I also wanted to write Cloud less whumpy (as he is in some of my other stories) and showcase more of his flippant side.
> 
> Cloud and Zack's birthdays are not canon, but I wanted to provide an explanation for their size difference despite being in the same school grade. Something known as the [Relative age effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_age_effect) suggests that very sporty jock types tend to be born in the earlier months of the year, because coaches are biased to their relative strength and development.
> 
> I re-imagined Sephiroth’s quotes as very poor attempts at flirting. Although, is that not what they are in canon, too?
> 
> * * *
> 
> This is also the first smutless/sexless story I've written so far, which I've been wanting to do. I really enjoy experimenting with different genres and styles and subject matter. I love enemies-to-lovers and fake-relationship tropes, so I hope you enjoyed that, too.
> 
> * * *
> 
> As always, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. ❤️ I love just chatting about these characters, FF7, ideas, and writing, so don't be afraid to share your thoughts!
> 
> Kudos are always appreciated too.  
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> * * *
> 
> [Other stories.](https://archiveofourown.org/works?utf8=%E2%9C%93&work_search%5Bsort_column%5D=revised_at&work_search%5Bother_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bexcluded_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bcrossover%5D=&work_search%5Bcomplete%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_from%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_to%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_from%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_to%5D=&work_search%5Bquery%5D=creators%3A+anonymous+summary%3Akbd&work_search%5Blanguage_id%5D=&commit=Sort+and+Filter&tag_id=Compilation+of+Final+Fantasy+VII)


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